It was a return six years in the making, and it was a return that perfectly encapsulated Rory McIlroy. Making the trek back to Royal Portrush for The Open Championship -- now as a career grand slam winner -- the Northern Irishman experienced a topsy-turvy day as the hard stuff came easy and the easy stuff came hard.

Rory McIlroy, who has experienced both joy and heartbreak at the Open Championship, needed his wife Erica Stoll following one especially tough moment at the 2022 event

Rory McIlroy shot 1 under Thursday at Royal Portrush, a better start than the first time he played the British Open at the Northern Ireland course near home.

The hometown hero is back at Royal Portrush, but Rory McIlroy was poor off the tee again as the Open Championship rolls on.

So here is our final major big board of the year, ranking the top 30 golfers in the field. This is not simply the 30 best golfers in a vacuum. These are the 30 golfers that our crack team of Gabby Herzig, Hugh Kellenberger and Brody Miller believe are best suited to win this week at Royal Portrush.

By the time Rory McIlroy finished his first practice round for the British Open at Royal Portrush, a big crowd that weathered rain and sunshine was waiting to see him finish.

The crowds of Northern Ireland appreciate good golf, and good golfers, but no one had as big of a reception as the native son. And Rory McIlroy gave them plenty to cheer for — with potential for even more over the next three days at the Open.